Rhythm and Timing are Part of What Makes us Human
Have you ever sat back at a concert and looked around to notice everyone bobbing their heads or tapping their feet instinctively with the beat? Can you picture that sweet, sweet moment in infancy where a baby starts to move their body up and down to dance after they hit a button on a musical toy?
When my niece was only two years old, she could discriminate her favorite musical artist, Jackson Browne, from other artists. She would exclaim, “Browne!” when she heard his voice and unique musical style. She was familiar with this music and it made her feel safe, happy, and socially connected.
As far as we can tell, humans are the only species to hear, interpret, and understand music and its components including rhythm, melody, and harmony. We also have an emotional response to music.
From the moment of conception, we are exposed to rhythm and timing including our mother’s heartbeat, her breath, and her voice. Our biology is grounded in timing and rhythm including our own breathing, heartbeat, digestion, motor movements, circadian rhythms, and neural circuitry. This innate understanding of rhythm and timing influences our development. Research shows that the networks in our brain that control timing and motor planning overlap with areas that control higher level skills (Bonacina, Krizman, White-Schwoch, Nicol, & Kraus, 2019). These skills include but are not limited to executive functioning, emotional regulation, reading and writing, language production and comprehension, and right/left body discrimination (Teicher, 2019). When there is a breakdown with understanding of rhythm and timing, difficulties in self-regulation, academia, and motor coordination may be seen.
The wonderful news is that we know that timing skills and understanding of rhythm can be improved upon. For example, it is shown that students who participate in learning a musical instrument demonstrate higher levels of academic performance because underlying skills associated with timing are enhanced (Guhn, Emerson, & Gouzouasis, 2019). With participation in reading intervention, occupational and speech therapies, a child’s sense of timing is assessed. It can then be addressed through multi-sensory approaches such as finger tapping, auditory programs, hand claps, synchronizing body movement with a steady beat and learning simple songs, just to name a few! Isn't it amazing that what seems like a very simple concept, not only drives our survival, but is an integral part of what makes us human?
References
Bonacina, S., Krizman, J., White-Schwoch, T., Nicol, T., & Kraus, N. (2019). How rhythmic skills relate and develop in school-age children. Global Pediatric Health, 6, 1-7. doi:10.1177/2333794X19852045
Guhn, M., Emerson, S., & Gouzouasis, P. (2019). Population-level analysis of associations between music participation and academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology. doi: 10.1037/edu0000376
Teicher, M. H. (2019). White paper: Profound effects of Interactive Metronome and Brain Balance exercises on a subset of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Retrieved from IM Specific Research and White Papers website: https://www.interactivemetronome.com/im-specific-research-white-papers#1596119829776-cd2d60aa-5849